This invention relates to air purification systems and more particularly to such systems that are both portable and relatively high in capacity.
The importance of clean air is well known and has increasingly become the subject of governmental and private concern. A variety of illnesses and other physical ailments can be traced directly to air that is impure or contaminated from a variety of industrial and other pollutants generated by human activity. Moreover, other ailments are known to result from air that contains naturally occurring impurities such a bacteria, viruses, mold spores, pollen, dust and the like. Such naturally occurring air impurities are especially likely to be present in sick rooms, hospitals, doctor""s offices and other areas where persons with illnesses may congregate.
Not only are there a wide range of ailments experienced by persons having normal immune and allergy profiles, but there are others whose immune or allergic responses, having been weakened by one type of air contaminant, require an especially high degree of protection from other impurities. Accordingly, there have been proposed a variety of systems and devices whose purpose is to provide a clean and wholesome environment in a localized area by removal of sometimes highly concentrated contaminants from immediately surrounding air. Advantageously such systems are self-contained except for a primary energy source, compact and easily portable.
Illustrative or prior proposals are those set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,620 granted to C. E. Hollingsworth Jan. 24, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,712 granted to Stewart Tongret Jan. 13, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,173 granted to Paul Kudirka Apr. 12, 1988; U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,269 granted to Wyman Stackhouse et al Mar. 7, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,723 granted to Terrell Travis et al Jul. 27, 1993. These patents disclose portable room air treatment and filtering systems some of which include sequential filtering, sanitization and noise reduction. However, there has continued to be a need for further improvements in mobility, air circulation capacity, safety in use, filter life and maintenance, enhanced protection of personnel when filter changes are needed, reduction in size and noise, and increased flexibility in targeting troublesome contaminants.
The proposals of the present invention envision an improved air purification unit with high volume air flow, durability, effectiveness in contaminant removal, and ease of operation and maintenance. The system further features very low-noise operation making it especially useful in hospitals and sick rooms where occupants may be easily disturbed and in classrooms and other small assembly areas where noisy operation could disturb the primary function being conducted in the area. It embodies an air purification system housed within a molded polyethylene material for protection against denting and rough handling during movement of the unit or injury to cleaning and maintenance personnel; and it is mounted on four neoprene casters for ease of roll on carpet or vinyl flooring. It includes a retractable power cord, a multi-speed blower with manual, automatic and timer-activated controls, a control panel with a xe2x80x9creplace filter modulexe2x80x9d indicator and an ultra-violet light condition indicator. A unitary four-element disposable filter pack is provided to facilitate filter replacement while minimizing exposure of maintenance personnel to hazardous substances that may have become entrained therein, bacterial growth is inhibited through the provision of an ultra-violet light positioned to irradiate a predetermined exterior surface of the filter module; noise is minimized through the utilization of an air expansion plenum and an air channel labyrinth to and xe2x80x9cdouble-convexxe2x80x9d louvers in the exit grill to muffle air and fan sounds. Direction of air exit to facilitate circulation of the filtered air is provided by two-way adjustability of the louvered exit grill. Accordingly, it will be observed that the system includes a plurality of features that act in cooperative combination to achieve an improved air purification system.
It is one general object of the invention to provide improved mobile air purification systems.
It is another objective of the invention to provide a mobile air purification system featuring improved convenience of cleaning and maintenance.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide facilitated filter choice and replacement.
It is still another object of the invention to facilitate easy maintenance thereby decreasing exposure of users and maintenance personnel to hazardous substances.
It is still another object of the invention to provide for optional unattended operation for substantial periods of time.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide substantially reduced operational noise by means of multiple noise-reduction techniques.
It is an even further object of the invention to provide an air purification system using a uniquely constructed multi-stage unitary filter.
Accordingly, the invention features a smooth molded polyethylene housing, large neoprene casters and a retractable power cord, thus improving ease of movement and safety in cleaning and use.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, an improved control system is provided to control a multi-speed blower and to provide a visual display when system filters or ultra-violet lights require servicing, thus enhancing system operation.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, an improved filter construction facilitates creation of custom multi-element unitary filter packs that are tailored to the particular environmental conditions in which the system is to be employed, thereby improving purification effectiveness and ease of use.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, an air expansion plenum is employed in cooperative combination with the multi-speed blower, right-angled air passages shaped exit grill louvers, thus contributing top enhanced noise reduction.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, by way of preferred examples, with references to the drawings.